Midland WR-100
The Midland WR-100, manufactured by Midland, is one of the most promoted, successful, and common weather alert radios on the market. The radio was first released for sale 2002. Over the ten year span that the radio was produced, the WR-100 had numerous versions, featuring changes to faceplates, antenna lengths, operating systems, packaging, and menu options. This radio was discontinued by Midland in 2012. General look and price The vast majority of Midland WR-100's are built with a white faceplate and a white body. They feature black rubber buttons and a blue backlight. When the alert feature is activated, three differently colored LED lights indicate the type of alert: red for Warning, orange for Watch, and yellow for Advisory. Though most WR-100's boast an overall white body, very early models featured a black faceplate and gray-silver body. This early version of the WR-100 lacked a backlight, alert testing settings in the menu, and an external alert port. The black-and-silver and Version 2 white radio also had different alert level indicators: red for Warning, yellow for Watch, and green for Statement. This is a "rare" version of this radio model, but is still sold for the same price, which is usually somewhere between $19.99 and $44.99 on Ebay, Amazon, or retail. Versions Black and silver The Midland WR-100 debuted in a black-and-silver color in 2002. The radio's colors on the faceplate were nearly inverted, as much of the body was accented in the two-tone black and silver, with the bottom of the radio being entirely black. This version was only produced in clamshell packaging. It can come with a Version 1 or Version 2 PCB, depending on the date of manufacture. Due to its age, the radio has an older SAME alert table, meaning that the radio will respond differently to newly added alerts than later model WR-100's. This radio may have run alongside the white Midland WR-100 for a short period of time, which has also made rare appearances in the two versions of the clamshell. Black-and-silver WR-100's were discontinued in 2003. Version 2 Around the time of the Version 1 discontinuation, the white model WR-100 was introduced. The color of the Version 2 model would remain the same throughout the remainder of its production. The radio's body began to feature mostly white shells, with the only remaining black accents located on the faceplate, buttons, and switches. No major changes to software were made for the Version 2 radio when it debuted, other than a new external alert port on the left side of the radio. It was packaged in both a clamshell and in a box. It was only available in this version with a version 2 PCB. Over time, the WR-100 received several minor upgrades to evolve into an almost "Version 2.5". Some minor changes include revised text on the bottom of the radio, changing from "SAME DIGITAL WEATHER/HAZARD ALERT MONITOR" to "S.A.M.E. DIGITAL WEATHER/HAZARD ALERT MONITOR". Other changes included a longer and thicker telescopic antenna. Version 3 The Version 3 WR-100, released around 2004, received another handful of upgrades, mostly to the internals. On the exterior, the radio featured a new Public Alert certification logo, which was affixed to the top left of the radio's faceplate. The radio was also revised by receiving the new alert level indicators: red for Warning, orange for Watch, and yellow for Advisory. The "Advisory" label also replaced the "Statement" label in the bottom LED alert indicator light, primarily due to the numerous advisory SAME codes that were added to the NOAA Weather Radio network in 2002. Several new All-Hazards alerts were introduced into the radios alerting table and the radio featured certain alerts now factory disabled (such as Required Weekly Tests, System Demos, and National Periodic Tests), though these features could be easily overwritten. New boxes and clamshell packages were introduced for this version as well. Version 4 Version 4 WR-100's received little upgrades. The some alterations were made to the bottom text and a new PCB was affixed for 2006 models. There was a revised alert table as well. In addition, the packaging for these models was updated, though some Version 3 and Version 5 models could be found in this packaging. Version 5 The last update to the Midland WR-100 before its discontinuation was Version 5. This model was produced with two different faceplates. From its introduction to 2008, the faceplates from older models were used. Around 2008, the faceplate began to feature an updated NOAA Weather Radio. This version of the WR-100 remained untouched for another four years, and featured a blue box or clamshell. Red "All-Hazards Weather Alert Radio" text on the box meant the radio had the older faceplate, and white text indicated new ones. All clamshells included the red text and only the updated faceplate. High pitched squeal Sometimes, on the newer and older Version 5 models, the radio will play a high pitch noise whenever you listen to any weather radio channel. It is unknown why this happens, but the radio will still work intermittently sometimes. This is also called "WR-100 Plague". High bass In some cases, Version 5 radios will have a high bass sound to the weather radio broadcast. This does not prevent the radio from doing anything, but is not the best for the speaker. It is unknown why it is caused, but has also been reported with a few Version 4 models as well, Discontinuation In 2011, Midland introduced the WR-120 to the market. This acted as the successor to the WR-100, as it was the biggest update seen to the ever-so-popular weather radio model. The WR-120 features a wider LCD, revised horizontal alert level indicators, new sirens, and other additional features. The two radios ran concurrently on the market together until 2012, when the WR-100 was officially discontinued from the Midland website. Availability Although officially discontinued, the WR-100 is easily available through mass retailers, though some have also stopped carrying the product. Due to the mass volume and distribution of these radios, they are easily acquirable from wholesale or resale websites like Amazon or eBay. Photo gallery Black & Silver Midland WR-100.jpg|Black & Silver Midland WR-100 (version 1) next to a Radioshack 12-262 (picture 1) Blackandsilver.jpg|Black & Silver WR100 Version 1 (picture 2) 2002 Midland WR-100.jpg|Midland WR-100 Version 2 20190813 002547.jpg|Midland WR-100 Version "2.5" Version2point5cae.jpg|WR100 Version "2.5" with the Watch light showing on a Child Abduction Emergency 2002 Midland WR-100 Box.JPG|Midland WR-100 Version 2 Box Midland WR100.jpg|Midland WR-100 Version 3 Old Midland WR-100 Box.jpg|Midland WR-100 Version 3 Box Wr100version 5.png|Midland WR-100 Version 5 Today's Midland WR-100 Box.jpg|Midland WR-100 Version 5 Box